Start a Non Profit | Ocean Grand » Philanthropy

Simple Fundraising

oceangrand — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 08:33:59 +0000

“Simple Fundraising” Book Pre-Release

Get Your Copy Early Before the Rush

Every NonProfit wants to learn how to fundraise well and this new resource from Scott Michael Ringo is just the ticket. Just being released in August is his new book “Simple Fundraising”. This book will teach you how to develop step-by-step fundraising strategies and formulas to create and maintain a stable donor base. Never before has the processes to develop continual and simple funding for a nonprofit been broken down so simple that anyone can do it. Scott brings his 12+ years in the developing successful nonprofits and 26+ years in the business arena to the forefront to present easy to understand, and simple to implement fundraising strategies.

As the founder of Ocean Grand, his hands-on approach to helping nonprofits all over the world raise the funds they need is is written so anyone can understand and implement it. Instead of wonder where the funding you need is, a few hours in “Simple Fundraising” will help you instantly discover and begin receiving it.

After reading “Simple Fundraising,” with basic effort any nonprofit can finally tap into the funding they need. Every nonprofit needs this book in their library. A simple read and you gain over a decade of experience in nonprofit fundraising.

Act now because the first 500 copies of the book that are ordered in advance as PDF books are discounted to $19.95. Once ordered and paid for you will immediately be emailed a link to download your copy.

Once the book is released to book stores and internet June 1, the price of “Simple Fundraising” will be $29.95. Get your copy now in PDF format by clicking the button below.

NonProfit Set-up

Are you interested in starting your own nonprofit? Ocean Grand can help you get your very own nonprofit set-up in about 3 weeks very affordable. Then help you to find the funding you need and run it successfully. Click this link to get all the information www.oceangrand.org/start-501c3

Corporate Design Solutions

Running and funding a nonprofit can be an easy task but much like building a house without a hammer and nails, attempting to build a successful nonprofit without the proper tools is just as crazy. Because we are dedicated to helping nonprofits become successful, Ocean Grand gives every nonprofit the ability to obtain these important tools at up to a 60% discount. Email Ocean Grand Design Studios to get more information at www.oceangrand.net

Every NonProfit needs professionally designed and printed marketing materials to make your nonprofit a success. Why not get those materials designed now at a substantial discount and start your marketing efforts from the beginning looking your best while attracting serious donors.We know from the hundreds of nonprofits we have helped all over the world, there is no better investment or a better price in which to get your nonprofit’s image looking its best. Ocean Grand Design Studios is a state-of-the-art professional design studio that has designed for top names. In addition to the 60% savings on the complete design package, Ocean Grand will give you tremendous savings on all your print needs as it is a professional print house as well. Email Ocean Grand Design Studios to get more information at www.oceangrand.net

With professionally designed and printed marketing materials it only takes one (1) serious donor to donate back in one month the investment you made in your marketing materials.

It’s Not Who You Know, It’s Who They Know

It makes a huge difference in the caliber of donors your nonprofit attracts as to how your nonprofit image looks. When you ask CEOs and successful people to pass on the information about your nonprofit, you want them to have great looking material they are proud to pass on. Handing out professionally designed marketing materials can make the difference, and there is no better time or better price to get those created than with this offer. You are going to need everyone you know talking about your nonprofit, and just like any business, being able to equip others to retell your story right is key. Get a complete corporate branding solution including:

Logo
Business Card Design
Letterhead Design
Envelope Design
Website
Tri-fold Brochure
Glossy Presentation Folder
Social Media Package (Twitter and FaceBook)

Some of Ocean Grand’s other services:

Some of our products:

Custom Photo Books (any amount of pages)
Wedding Albums
Graduation Announcements
Baby Announcements
Wedding Invitations
Wedding Announcements
Personalized Stationary
Photo Enlargements (canvas, print, framed)
Photo Packages
Photo reprints
Personalized Christmas Cards
Personalized Holiday Cards
Family Greeting Cards
Portrait enlargement and framing

Other Services:

Logo
Business Cards
Customized Thank You Cards
Customized Greeting Cards
Customized Christmas Cards
Corporate Letterhead
Corporate Envelopes
Flyers any size edge to edge printing
Brochures any fold
Postcards with customized mailing services
Magnets
Banners
Websites
Counter cards, Business Cards, Referral Brochures
Ongoing Flyer Creation
Double-sided PDF Brochures for emailing
Interactive Online Brochures
Corporate Style Sheets

Anything graphic design, branding, and print media related!

Email Ocean Grand Design Studios to get more information at www.oceangrand.net

Summer Nonprofit Funding Opportunities

oceangrand — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 20:15:44 +0000

Spring is here and with it is a whole summer of opportunities for activities to bring crazy amounts of funding into your nonprofit. Yes, summer has a plethora of free and inexpensive opportunities to get your nonprofit in the publics eye and raise amazing amounts of funding. Read on an I will help you put together a plan to make this summer one of more fun than you have ever had while raising great funding for your nonprofit.

You need to remember that if you have a nonprofit, then you have avenues into funding that are as easy as asking for them. Summer is a time for being outdoors and it does not matter where you are in the world there are summer activities that are just beginning to bloom. With the right strategy you can piggy back on thousands of hours of work that others have done for you getting masses of people together to learn about your nonprofit. Below I will let you in on where to find all these people that are eager to learn about your nonprofit and then help you put together a strategy to capitalize on them.

See below how Ocean Grand can get your image looking its best to grab donors attention with up to 60% off on all of our design and printing.

Festivals, Art Shows, Boat Shows and Concerts
For months all over the country teams of people have been working diligently preparing for festivals and other summer events to bring hundreds of thousands of people to these events. If you grab the opportunity, they have brought all of these people together in one place to learn all about your nonprofit and have the opportunity to support it. If you love to be outdoors, meet people, and share the vision of your nonprofit, then this summer these events are your ticket to doing all three.

You can be raising donations for your non profit by doing just about anything. As a non profit you should take advantage of events that are already planned and organized in your area and make them into fundraisers for your organization as explained below. Just about any activity could raise money for your favorite charity even if the charity is not a charity that is officially recognized for the event. Why not raise money for your favorite charity through events that are already happening all around you.

How to Use Outdoor Festivals, etc for Fund Raising

Start by finding all the events around you in a 50 mile radius
Contact the organizer and ask if they are giving away or discounting display space to nonprofits
Ask the organizer if your nonprofit could be a featured charitable cause for the event
Could a portion of the proceeds go to benefit your nonprofit? Ask.
Grab tent space or booth space if it is affordable, 1000’s will come by your display during the event.
You could simply grab a stack of your professionally design and printed business cards and brochures to hand out as walking through the event.

* See the check list below of the things you need to show up with to be prepared.
** Also see below How to Turn Any Event into One That Sponsors Your Nonprofit

Other Easy Fund Raising Events for the Summer

Organize a Car Wash
Walk-a-thons, bike-a-thons, running and swimming events
Craft Festivals
Rummage Sales
Golf Tournaments
Tennis Events
Bingo and Casino Nights
Wine Tasting Parties
Auctions
Summer Concerts
Art Shows
Boat Shows
Vegetable Festivals (strawberry festival, etc)
Air Shows
Ice Cream Socials
Church Summer Events

There is a lot more than this but these will get you started.

List of Things You Will Need for Summer Fund Raising

Business Cards and Brochures- At the very least you will need a few thousand professionally designed and printed business cards and tri-fold brochures. Resist the temptation to design them and print them yourself. Everyone knows the when you printed them yourself and nothing says more about your nonprofit than the materials you are willing to hand out. Have some pride and hand out good looking and well designed stuff.
Display Booth- If your going to do a booth or tent then you need a well designed banner and trade show display. Again if you are not willing to spend a little money on your nonprofits image then don’t expect others to donate to it. People like to invest and donate to successful programs. It does not have to be elaborate but professionally designed and printed banners and a table top display will make you look like your serious about your program.
Web Site or Blog- People that you hand out business cards and brochures to are going to want to visit a web site or blog to see if your legitimate. I suggest a blog (see oceangrand.org/top-10-reasons-nonprofits-should-blog/) and you should have one up even if you are not doing summer fundraising. Now days if an organization does not have at least business cards, a brochure and a web site no one is going to take your nonprofit serious.
Spiff- spiff is something to give away that has your organizations name and contact info. For summer fundraising Frisbees, drawstring packs, visors, bottle openers, etc are great inexpensive items that people will want to take home with them and keep. You could even do a drawing or some type of game to get people to sign up for your newsletter and give away more valued items.

Spend some money on your image, a booth if you are going to have one, and great stuff to give away. If you hit several events this summer and talk with thousands of people, you are sure to make back your investment in donations and people involved in your nonprofit.

How to Turn Any Event into One That Sponsors Your Nonprofit

Here in Virginia Beach we have an annual event called the Polar Plunge where everyone raises pledges and then dives in the ocean (some only up to their ankles) to benefit Special Olympics. I have nothing against Special Olympics and really think they are a class act and great cause. Instead, what I am trying to explain here is the only activity you have to be willing to do is get your toes wet and you can raise money to help a great cause.

Now let’s say you want to raise funds and awareness for your own nonprofit. Although there is no special event scheduled (or even if there is) you could create your own very easily. Take a marathon for example. Pick a Saturday, commit to running 10, 15 or more miles and contact everyone you know to pledge money toward the cause you want to support. Use the pledges to benefit your own nonprofit. You can make a great opportunity out of an event of any kind, even the Plunge mentioned above and raise pledges for the Special Olympics and another cause simultaneously.

You can take any event working out, playing softball, snowboarding, bike riding, taking your child for a walk, ironing shirts, or even parachuting, even a walk-a-thon all these and anything else can be turned into even something bigger by having people pledge money toward your nonprofit when you complete them.

Shirt Iron Off

Lets take the example of ironing shirts. Organize a shirt iron-off right at your own house or even better someplace more public. The pledges could be donated per shirt you iron. You could ask all your friends to bring their shirts that need to be ironed or even open it up to anyone that needs their shirts ironed. I believe you get the point, anything, including things you do in your daily routine can be reengineered into an accomplishment you can be proud of because you turned an ordinary event into something extraordinary.

A good article to read more about creative ideas like this is oceangrand.org/what-have-you-done/

How Ocean Grand Can Help You Make This Summer a Success
We at Ocean Grand not only support nonprofits with set up, funding help, and tons of free information to help you be a pro at running a nonprofit. We also give nonprofits up to 60% off professional design and printing of anything your nonprofit might need to look its best. We spend lots of time and energy helping nonprofits look like a million dollars so donors and volunteers have no question that your nonprofit is going someplace.

Nonprofits work¦if you work them.

The First Type
We receive emails and phone calls from nonprofits struggling to find the success they had hoped for. We enjoy working with each of these nonprofits because many times their solution is easy. They just need a good image and need to work the business. Many times creating a custom story and professional image is all it takes to jump start their nonprofit success.

Nonprofits work if you work them; if you don’t, then they die. Nonprofits rely on others and donors and if you don’t get your message out there, then no one knows about it.

How is your nonprofit coming along? Are you transforming people’s lives and the dreams you had for your nonprofit into reality?
There are two types of groups that we see start nonprofits, and we would like to make sure you are the one that gets results.

Some who start nonprofits through Ocean Grand have great intentions. Once they get their status they tell a few people about the nonprofit, they print out a few sheets about their nonprofit, but no funds come in and they get frustrated. Many try with little success to put it all together themselves.

The Second Type Hit the Road Running
The second type of individuals start their nonprofit and and with the help of professionals get their image polished up and looking like the nonprofit is a success from the beginning. Many allow us to €obrand for them a professional image and story. We provide them with a great looking custom logo, business cards, printed brochures, website, and even letterhead and business cards. They let us help them with some initial fund raising ideas and in a short amount of time they have decent initial funding flowing through their nonprofit. It only takes a little effort along with some great looking materials to make initial your initial fund raising work. They then begin paying themselves a salary and concert more of their time and efforts into their nonprofit.

We at Ocean Grand have a desire that each nonprofit we set up has the success of the second example above. We are even willing to donate up to 50% of our work at creating and printing your image to show you how serious we are about you being a success.

If you are not seeing the success in your nonprofit that you dreamed of, let us help. Get in contact with us and let’s see what we can do to get you on the road to finding the funds and success that you need ,so your nonprofit can help the people you have a passion for.

It does not have to be difficult¦and Ocean Grand is here to make sure it’s not.

Have a great summer and hopefully your pockets will be full at the end of it with a little help from us and some fun in the sun on your part.

Click to Get Your Wish Granted

oceangrand — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 18:26:21 +0000

Genie In a Bottle

You are walking on the beach, and there in front of you is a genie lamp. The inscription reads, “Rub me”. So you rub the lamp and out pops a genie and says, “I will grant you one wish, any wish. But there are two conditions. Your wish has to be focused towards helping others and not yourself, and you have to be committed to seeing your wish come true.” Of course, you are wondering what happened to the other three wishes, since isn’t the offer supposed to be for three wishes? However, the genie explains that even his economy is tight right now but he should get the benefit of the doubt since, “When did anyone ever offer to grant you wish in the first place?” Today your wish is granted, read on to learn how to get your wish.

I spend a lot of time talking with people about cool ideas they have come up with to make the world a better place. Many of them are amazing and I am privileged to be one of the first to hear about them and spur them onto success. This day and age anyone can have a great idea to make the world a better place, but the process to take that dream and make it a reality is often confusing. Ocean Grand has made a commitment to help those who have a dream, a wish, and turn it into reality and we are counting on the rest of the technology, nonprofit and philanthropy world to join us in seeing dreams come true. Continue on and find out how you can be part of a new revolution.

From extreme makeovers, building homes for those that need them, losing excessive amounts of weight, to even finding the perfect job, television is transforming peoples’ lives by giving them the once-in-a-lifetime chance to change their world. Many times these complete solutions are the collaboration of hundreds or even thousands of people all bringing a piece of the puzzle to the table to make the dream come true. Granted, most of the time these transformations are created in the form of a competition and while some win, many lose. But for that one lucky person, their life could be turned upside down for the good.

Perhaps more than ever, with the aid of the internet, more and more people are finding that it only takes a little collaboration from a few others to make another person’s dream come true. It no longer takes meeting in person, complicated meeting schedules or years to create a strategy for success. For years I have run companies virtually and outsourced highly technical solutions to enable companies to run smoothly and much more efficiently.

One Lucky Person

What if I said, “Come up with an idea for a project to make the world a better place and no matter what your idea, I would help you put it in place?” In addition, I would not only help you put the project in place, it is yours to keep, and I will help you learn to easily fund it and make it a stunning success. You might think you stepped onto the stage of a TV reality show and all your dreams are coming true. In reality, (not reality TV), that is what I have the joy of doing each and every day. If you need someone to help you put your nonprofit project in place, learn for free how to fund it and have support in making it a huge success, then this invitation is open to you. It all begins with a short application to start a nonprofit and I will step you through the rest of the process.

Your Wish Granted in One Step

Decide whether or not you’re committed once and for all to seeing your wish granted.
If you are still committed, and want to make your wish come true.
Take a minute and make sure you know what your wish is.
Say your wish out loud 3 times and click the button below.

What Have You Done?

oceangrand — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 03:50:19 +0000

What Have You Done Lately That You Are Proud Of?

I was wondering to myself the other day… what have I done lately that I am proud of? Sure there are the usual ongoing things like being a good husband, a good father, my daily work, and of course taking out the trash. However, I am talking about an accomplishment that is not in my usual routine, something that sets me apart from a major part of society. To be proud of an accomplishment I will assume I would have put a fair amount of time into it. I would also assume that if I shared the accomplishment with other people they too would agree that it was something I could be proud of. So with those three assumptions “What have you done lately that you are proud of?” If something comes to mind while you are reading this article, post it in the comments below. However, if you are still mulling that question around read on and maybe I can help you come up with something.

Daily Routine

Many times I can get so caught into my daily routine that months or even a year can go past without reevaluating what I am doing apart from my family and employment that makes a significant impact in a way I can be proud of. I am not talking about a boastful and arrogant proud, but instead a feeling of satisfaction in accomplishing something I set out to do to make a positive impact in the world. Then as I pondered the question, I began to realize that an accomplishment of significance does not necessarily have to be something I’ve never done before but instead why I do something. I could refocus the way in which I do something or reengineer the outcome of what I do and gain the same goal in accomplishing something I can be proud of. You may already be doing many things in your daily and weekly routine that could be proud accomplishments with just a little tweaking. Read on and I will explain how in just a short time you can have an endless list of things you’re doing daily that you can be proud of.

Hobbies and Activities

Most of us have hobbies and activities that are part of our normal routine that could easily be turned into something we could be proud of. For example, take training for a marathon. Every day you run there is satisfaction in that, right? When you complete the marathon there is satisfaction in that, right? Well, what if every day you ran you were actually running for an even bigger cause than the daily and finish line satisfactions? The steps to making that happen are below.

Maybe your activity is working out, playing softball, snowboarding, bike riding, taking your child for a walk, or even parachuting, all these and anything else can be turned into even something bigger and impact the world in a positive way. Let me show you how.

Take the Plunge

Now let’s say you figure out a great cause for which you would like to raise funds and awareness. Although there is no special event scheduled (or even if there is) you could create your own very easily. Take the running for example. Pick a Saturday, commit to running 10, 15 or more miles and contact everyone you know to pledge money toward the cause you want to support. If you have your own non profit (which is becoming very popular), you could raise donations for it. You can make a great opportunity out of an event of any kind, even the “Plunge” mentioned above and raise pledges for the Special Olympics and another cause simultaneously.

Proud As a Papa

Now back to the activities that are a part of your normal routine. Take any one of them, let’s take ironing shirts, and organize a shirt iron-off right at your own house or even better someplace more public. The pledges could be donated per shirt you iron. You could ask all your friends to bring their shirts that need to be ironed or even open it up to anyone that needs their shirts ironed. I believe you get the point, anything, including things you do in your daily routine can be reengineered into an accomplishment you can be proud of because you turned an ordinary event into something extraordinary.

Moms and Pops of Non Profits

You should take careful notes while reading this article. You can be raising donations for the non profit you watch over by doing just about anything. As a non profit you should take advantage of events that are already planned and organized in your area and make them into fundraisers for your organization as explained above. Just about any activity could raise money for your favorite charity even if the charity is not a charity that is officially recognized for the event. Why not raise money for your favorite charity through events that are already happening all around you.

So You Want to Be Proud?

Organizing even your routine activities (and yes it could be walking your daughter around the neighborhood, comment below if you need and explanation) around something you could be proud of does not have to be a daunting task. Doing so will give you a constant source of things that you can look back on and know you can be proud of. Then the next time you might have an instance to wonder if you have done anything lately that you are proud of you will have an endless list.

6 Steps to Making a Bigger Splash

oceangrand — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 19:32:14 +0000

You, yeah you!

Everyone is involved in non profit work, however, some are more focused on changing the world with their involvement than others. Read on and figure out how you can make a lasting impact in that which you focus your charitable giving and involvement.
We all give money to charities and we all volunteer doing charity work, some just have more to show for their giving and time than most. You may not have even realized you had even been involved charitably. Let’s face it, whether the most you’ve done is give someone holding a sign a dollar, let all your friends know about a benefit walk-a-thon or volunteered some time to help a friend, we have all been involved in charity work. The fact is, unless you live under a rock you are going to be involved in charity work again one day. Wouldn’t it be great if you focused your involvement in a way that had a measurable impact?

Many people get to the end of a year and receive a few statements from charitable organizations that show a few dollars here or there that they contributed charitably and can count on their taxes. However, to most it seemed like we gave money and time in more ways to make a difference in the charitable arena, didn’t it? There are a couple easy ways to start focusing your efforts this year on making a bigger and more meaningful impact on the charitable things you do, while knowing exactly what you did and the significance of that impact. I will show you 6 simple steps you can take to make the most of your charitable efforts.

Stop Shrugging Your Shoulders and Make a Difference

1. Focus Your Non Profit Activity

While being involved in random charitable activities is good, focusing your nonprofit activities and giving to one or two causes helps you make a larger and more memorable impact. Being focused on a few charities can help you keep focused and plan out your year and involvement. Likewise, the charities that you focus on can better count on you for your involvement making it easier for them to plan budgets and events knowing they can count on you for your contribution and volunteerism. Focused involvement can also help you get excited about the significant difference you are making in the world by your charitable activity. There are some easy steps to help you discover what you might like to be involved in and then how to focus your efforts on those charitable causes.

Steps to Better Focus Your Non Profit Involvement

Take a week and decide what you are passionate about being involved in.
Narrow your passions down to a couple that you would be excited about pursuing this year.
Do a google search, ask friends or contact us to find charities that you could make an impact in around your passions.
Look at your budget and decide what you would like to designate financially to making an impact this year.
Look at your schedule and figure out how many weekends or evenings you could devote to helping those charities.
Contact the charities and let them know of your desires and availability to help.
Stay focused and make your giving and volunteering a priority by putting it on your calendar and following through.

2. Streamline your Giving

Many times, people fail in their commitments to give to charities because they simply forget to write the check. Likewise, many non profits fail to make it easy for donors to make financial gifts by not setting up online giving. Make your giving automatic by setting up reoccurring gifts online either through your bank or the charities online giving. By setting up automatic payments you will be assured that your financial gift is not forgotten and always delivered right on time.

Another way to make your charitable giving more significant is to save up your weekly or monthly contributions and purchase or give toward more tangible needs that the charity has. You could even save up your charitable contributions for several months or the year and give toward something with which you can feel like you made a memorable impact. For example, saving up several months and paying for the entire roof for an orphanage may be a better way for you to see your financial gift at work than giving a few dollars here or there. Plus it is more fun to give to items or projects in which you can look back and see you had more tangible impact. Ask the nonprofit what significant items or goals you can give toward in larger chunks to develop more excitement in your giving.

3. Volunteer Intentionally

Volunteering spontaneously when a charity needs help is great. However, you will be able to account for your impact and make your efforts count more if you intentionally volunteer for specific events during the year or consistent weekends. It will be easier to volunteer and be involved if you can look back at the year and know for example that you volunteered one weekend a month or for two significant events during the year. You will be able to look back at the year and know you had a consistent impact by the events or weekends for which you volunteered.

4. Multiply your giving by getting others involved

Your personal involvement in a charity is a great starting point, however if you had friends, family or even neighbors involved in the work with you, you can have a larger and more fulfilling impact in your efforts. Organizing a simple fund raising dinner at your home, or even a larger event and inviting friends, family and neighbors to attend can be a great way to make a huge impact You will develop stronger relationships and be able to use your influence to impact your charitable projects by simply getting others involved with you. It can be a lot of fun when you have many you know involved in changing the world as a group rather than attempting to stay involved with the efforts by yourself.

Matching gifts are also a way to multiply your contribution’s impact. Let the nonprofit know that you will match other’s gifts up to the amount you can afford, and you will give the nonprofit the motivation to find others that will give, which will double your giving efforts.

Some Ideas that can get others involved:

A fund raising dinner at your home
Matching gifts of either equal or double amounts
Benefit Concert
Organize a Car Wash
Walk-a-thons, bike-a-thons, running and swimming events
Craft Festivals
Rummage Sales
Golf Tournaments
Tennis Events
Bingo and Casino Nights
Wine Tasting Parties
Auctions

Any non profit should jump on the opportunity to let you organize and hold any of the events above.

5. Start Your Own Nonprofit Focus

While it can be very satisfying to give your time and finances to any number of great non profits, nothing is as exciting as custom tailoring your charitable activity directly toward one of your own passions. Many spend time raising funds, giving financially and volunteering their time to a nonprofit that has a great cause. However, they wish they could spend those resources and time on a non profit that matches exactly their passions. Creating and running your own non profit cause and organization is not as hard as it may sound. Imagine making an impact in the charitable arena custom tailored to fit your lifestyle and passions exactly. I know from experience that it is highly satisfying and not at all hard. Everyday at Ocean Grand, we enable and empower individuals to create their own non profit focused on the charitable activities that they are willing to invest their time and resources in and many even employ themselves it its full time work. For more information see http://oceangrand.org/6-steps-to-non-profit-freedom/ for how easy it could be for you to create your own highly focused non profit.

6. Social Networking

Facebook and other social networking sites provide you an easy way to let others know what you are focused on, recruit friends to help, and let them know how they can get involved. By setting up a “cause” or page associated with your social media account, you have an easy way to get those you know involved and contributing to the charitable organizations and activities you are passionate about. If you have a facebook account you can see http://apps.facebook.com/causes/201049 for an example.

Conclusion

Most everyone can make a bigger splash with their charity involvement and charitable giving. Whether you simply focus your giving better or start a non profit to benefit the causes you’re passionate about, we can all do a better job of supporting charitable activities. A non profit could be the beginning of a world wide revolution, a great alternative to a 401K, the answer to a person’s medical bills, or an honorable memorial to a love one that has passed away. There are non profits focused on just about every type of challenge you can think of. The question that remains to be answered is what are you going to do to change the world to be a better place?

Regardless of whether you believe you are involved with charity and nonprofit work, you are in some form or fashion, it may be hard to pinpoint your impact. Why not take a couple minutes, implement a couple of the ideas above and make your impact measurable this year? Believe me that it is a highly satisfying activity to get to the end of a year and be able to quantitate your impact in changing the world to be a better place.

The Wonder of a Star

oceangrand — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 17:29:31 +0000

Have you ever sat on a clear night and gazed up at the stars in wonder? Last night I woke up in the middle of the night and was having trouble getting back to sleep. After laying in bed for 20 minutes, I decided to get up and take a walk around the house, jot a few things down on “Things” a killer to-do list on the Mac. As I walked into the family room, a twinkle caught my eye outside through the glass sliding door. We live on a saltwater inlet, so just outside our back door is a beautiful view of the night sky over the water. Through the pines was one lone star twinkling as if to say “look at me and be amazed.” Stars amaze me because not one twinkles like the other. It also amazes me that the light we are seeing from a star has many times taken 10,000 years or more to reach us and the star may cease to exist. The reason being that the light from the star took so many years to get to us that the star burned out many years before.

For me gazing at the stars puts many things back into perspective because of the magnitude of the universe and the realization of what you’re actually gazing at. Standing on a planet that is spinning about 1,038 miles per hour on the equator or if you live in the U.S. and Europe the speed is around 700 to 900 mph. The earth is also hurtling through space at 67,000 miles an hour around the sun. When we look into the sky, we are looking into the endless vastness of space and some 9800 stars are visible to the naked eye at any one time.

I am reminded of the hope that the rhyme, “Star light, start bright, the first star I see tonight, wish I may, wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight” gives us. There is a magical thing that happens in our minds when we believe there is hope that someone or something cares about giving us a break of unprecedented magnitude. For many that hope that someone cares is what gets them through the cold winter nights, the time to the next hot meal, the pain of a medical condition, or even the death of a loved one. Some non profits even encourage our hope by touching us with plays, the arts, music and stories of hope found.

Though many have never had the wish granted they wished on a star, millions have been touched by the kindness of a non profit and its volunteers that cared about them. For many in need, with hurt, sorrow, or even requiring counseling to get through trauma, the people involved in a non profit cause became a star that granted their wish.

The people involved in non profit work and those who donate to it are stars that shine beautifully even in the darkest night. Rarely are they thanked, and many work in obscurity but the twinkle in their eye is far more brilliant than any star in the night sky. For many, their involvement starts with seeing a need that requires a solution For others, their passion stems from a need in their own life, and countless others the dream to be a part of a story that is bigger than themselves. Whatever the motivation, the results are the same- a light streaming from the darkness of time and space to bring hope to someone who needs it.

Just like the star that I was gazing at, many who are involved in nonprofit work are never recognized until their life has passed away. However, the light that their life shined on others continues long after they are gone, brightening lives and restoring hope.

While reading a book last week, it posed the scenario that in 100 years no one that remembers you would still be alive. Few will remember your name, what you did for a living, or even how much money you made. That is an interesting observation and while I have as many ancestors as you, how many of those ancestors left a lasting legacy? The majority of people that have lived life upon this earth have left without anything to show for their life other than a few memories they have left their children- some good, some bad. Unlike the star whose light continues to shine well after its gone, rarely do we find individuals who are willing to focus their lives or assets on legacy-building tasks.

Making a legacy-building difference in the world is a task which we should all be willing to engage in and teach our children to engage in. Just a few hours a week or even a month can make a memorable difference to the lives of people you touch. Anyone can leave a legacy; it simply takes the desire and willingness to care about others. Why not commit this year to begin to build a legacy for you and your family?

Here are some simple steps you can take to begin building your legacy:

Volunteer with a non profit or ministry.
Start a non profit of your own.

Starting and running a non profit does not have to be difficult; see “Simple Fundraising” strategy. There are only a few quick steps to it, read on.

Nonprofit fund raising does not have to be daunting as we learned in “A Simple Formula”. It is simply about telling your story in a quick effective way and then duplicating yourself and that story so that more and more people know your nonprofit exists. One of the most important elements in retelling your story is to be able to equip others to retell the story once they know it. However excited you may be about following this simple formula, you are faced with the lack of capital to get your image and story in a form so others can retell it correctly. We are going to fix that in just a few concentrated hours.

Your First Capital Campaign

The secret to this quick and effective fund raising strategy is that you are not going to be looking for large financial contributions. Instead, you’re looking for a few smaller contributions, the kind people will easily help you with and not be a challenge for them to donate to you. Remember, don’t make starting a non profit or fund raising hard. Instead, start simple and make it easy. Relax, it will all come together, just work the steps.

Step 1- Develop Your Story

You need to develop the “story” of your nonprofit which is: why, how, when, and who you are going to help. As the founder, you can develop this story the easiest because you have a passion for something to do to help people or things. For an example, see the “About” tab on the Start a NonProfit | Ocean Grand site. Your story (product) should be compelling and give a brief background of how the passion for this nonprofit was birthed. In addition, it should include why the nonprofit was started, who or what the nonprofit is going to help, and how you’re going to help.

For your First Capital Campaign you only need a concise 3 minute version, (“A Simple Formula” gives more specifics). This version is going to briefly tell about the new nonprofit you just started, why you started it, who you are going to help and why. Hone it down and practice it on a spouse or a friend several times and make sure it “flows” and compels people to want to be a part.

Step 2- Two Hours and $2K

Come up with a list of 20 to 30 of the most generous and willing to help a cause friends you know. Everyone knows at least that many people whether it is friends, family, co-workers. Remember to focus first on those that are most likely to help a good cause. It is also important to remember, you are not asking them for yourself, you are asking them on behalf of an organization that is going to make a huge difference in the community.

Schedule two uninterrupted hours that you can make phone calls in a quite place. If your using a cell phone, make sure it is a place that has good reception. There is a brief idea for a script below, but take the wording and make it your own- like you would say it. Don’t fret, you simply have to go through the script (practice it so it does not sound like you are reading it). Then ask a quick question at the end and your off the phone.

Script

Here is the script:
You: Hi [person's name]. I was wondering if you had three minutes I could bother you and ask for you input?

{person says yes}
You: I will make it brief and appreciate you taking the time to listen.
or
{person says no}:
You: Ask them when you might call them back that they would have a couple minutes.

You: Tell your three minute story.

You: [Person's name] I am making a few phone calls to those people I believe I can count on that could donate $100 in the next couple days so that we can get our story printed on a brochure and website started. We have some fund raising scheduled to start in the next couple weeks and need to know we be able to put our best image forward to help [whatever your helping]. $100 is all I need from you and I appreciate our [friendship, relationship, etc] and that I can feel comfortable calling you and asking for your help. Could I count on you for this help?

{person} yes, how do I get the funds to you?
You: Thank you, I really appreciate it [tell them the name to make the check out to and how to get it to you, you might want to pick it up].
or
{person says no}
You: Hey, [persons name] thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule, can I count on you to help in the future when your able? [wait for response] Again thanks for the time, have a great day, I will keep you updated on our program.

Step 3- That’s it

You simply need to call 20 to 30 people and give them a quick 3 minute phone call asking for some quick help. Find twenty people that will help, spend 3 minutes on the phone, and you will have your $2k. Granted, some may not be able to help but now they know your story and you move onto the next person. Don’t make the phone call complicated or long. A concentrated 2 hours plus the time you take to develop your story and it is not hard to see you could have your funds. Make sure you put the funds into polishing your image with a design company that can make that image stand out.

Read “A Simple Formula” to begin getting the next phases of your fund raising efforts underway.

Best of fund raising! Let us know if we can help.

Purple Hearts Projects

oceangrand — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 16:07:17 +0000

Purple Heart Projects

Donate to Purple Heart Projects

Year in and year out a US soldier’s work is never done. We see their faces on the news, and read about their movements in the paper, but rarely do we have an opportunity to thank them. Purple Heart Projects makes that thank you easier than one could ever imagine. From simple donations, Purple Heart Projects puts together and mails care packages.

Purple Heart Projects is dedicated to helping military service members and their families, deployed and at home. We do that through organized projects that are designed to help ease the stress that soldiers and their families are placed under during periods of deployment, combat, recovering from wounds, and family issues. We are also committed to increasing awareness in our communities of the sacrifices that our soldiers and their families are making.

“We are constantly identifying areas that Purple Heart Projects can make life more normal and happy for service members who are fighting the war on terror, and their families.”- Carter Love

There are thousands of US soldiers giving their holidays with their family and they would love to have:

Care Packages
Our care packages are chosen using suggestions from returning service members, to ensure that they are getting what they want and need, and also to make sure that we aren’t purchasing items already issued by the military, like sunscreen.

Family Fellowship Retreats
Family fellowship retreats are organized with the help of individual vacation property owners. These properties are located at beaches, mountains, lakes, and resort areas in different parts of the United States. All military members are welcome but priority is placed on wounded soldiers and those returning from deployments in combat areas.

Wounded Soldier Support
Purple Heart Projects works with hospitals and communities to help our soldiers who have been wounded through combat related actions. They do this by supplying these soldiers with needed items while in the hospitals and helping as needed after leaving the hospital. Also, they help by supporting other organizations that aid these brave men and women.

Community Awareness
Purple Heart Projects is committed to enhancing community awareness as to the sacrifice and dedication of service members and their families. We do this by working with schools, civic clubs, and other organizations in local communities.

A couple dollars donated to Purple Heart Projects could help tell a soldier and his family thank you.

http://www.purpleheartprojects.com/

About Purple Heart Projects

Carter Love is passionate about caring for our military and decided to make a difference in the world by supporting them in a unique way. By starting an easy to run nonprofit with the help of Ocean Grand, Carter is now getting care packages to the front lines where it makes a difference to our soldiers. You too can easily start a nonprofit designed to empower you to live your nonprofit dreams. Let Ocean Grand http://www.oceangrand.org know your passions and we will get busy at putting your dreams into action.

Mercy Ministries

oceangrand — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 15:27:42 +0000

A Great Non Profit that Seeks to Make a Difference

We provide posts like this one for donors and other nonprofits alike. Many ask us to provide them with information on great nonprofits that they can donate to. Many nonprofits ask us for examples of good nonprofits they can model. Hopefully this post is both informative and inspiring.

Mercy Ministries, is focused on helping the young women in its care find healing and wholeness. Young women come to Mercy Ministries by choice because they want help. Mercy Ministries does not charge any young women for its services. I think this aspect of the program is very important because I have heard countless stories of girls going to rehab to seek help and as soon as their insurance runs out, they are sent home before they have fully healed.

Mercy Ministries of America has provided hope and healing to generations of young women who are seeking freedom from life-controlling issues. Girls come to the Mercy homes struggling with eating disorders, self-harm, addictions, unplanned pregnancy, abuse, and depression. It serves a diverse population of young women from various socio-economic backgrounds, aged 13-28. Many of the girls who come to Mercy for help are facing a combination of these debilitating circumstances and have been in various treatment facilities with unsuccessful long-term results.

When girls apply to the program they go through a very careful intake process. Parents can’t send their daughters to Mercy, the girls have to have the desire to come and seek help. They receive a list of house rules and are told they have to work hard on their issues. The girls don’t have to be Christian to get admitted, but they are told upfront that it is a faith-based ministry. They are asked directly if they are willing to make the commitment. While the girls are in the program, they attend church twice a week and receive daily biblical counseling. The girls typically stay for about six months. Their time at Mercy will depend on the individual girl and how difficult her problem is and how quickly she is able to heal.

There are Mercy Ministries of America homes in Nashville, TN; Monroe, LA; and St. Louis, MO. At the beginning of 2009, another home is going to open in Sacramento, CA. There are also homes in five other nations across the world. The program uses a biblically based counseling model called, Choices that Bring Change. While in the program, the goal is to find out what the root of each girl’s problem is rather than treating symptoms. They also learn practical everyday skills, such as budgeting and finance, cooking, and many other life skills.

The Mercy Ministries Program continues to have amazing results! The ministry has been helping young women for 25 years and is still going strong. Over 2,000 girls have been through the program and there are currently over 700 girls on the waiting list. I would like to encourage you all to learn more about Mercy Ministries by visiting their website, http://www.mercyministries.org.

Keep watching for the online interview with Mercy Ministries we hope to have soon.

If you have the desire to help girls like Mercy Minstries does, donate directly to Mercy Ministries or start a NonProfit focused on your own dreams to help.